Here we go again
by CherryDolly
Summary: Once again, Luna has erased the Sailor Senshi's memories, after defeating Galaxia, in hope they will finally live a normal life. But the bonds between them are deeper than Luna realized, and as they begin to remember, evil is lurking round the corner...
1. Chapter 1

For what seemed like the hundredth night in a row, Serena awoke suddenly, the image of a crescent moon burnt into her mind. She groaned and rolled over, trying to get comfortable again. After a few minutes she gave up and reluctantly turned the light on. Every night, when she turned the light on, she expected someone to be there but there never was. Serena wasn't a complete idiot, but she really felt like something was missing, and it wasn't just her. Others felt it too.

"It really is that simple Serena. You've just got it in your head that algebra is difficult." Ami said, taking a sip from her chocolate milkshake. They were sitting in a small café, studying. Serena nodded, scribbling down the answer. She couldn't explain her sudden friendship with Ami. Ami was very smart, but also incredibly shy and sensitive. Like most others, Serena gossiped about Ami when she first arrived at the school, awkward and alone, singled out for her intelligence. Yet one day at school they found themselves talking like they'd been friends for the longest time. And she knew things, things she couldn't and shouldn't know.

"Serena!" Ami snapped, pulling Serena out of her daydream.

"Oh, sorry Ami." She smiled sheepishly.

"You got one wrong but the rest were right." Ami smiled encouragingly. Serena grinned.

"This calls for a celebratory extra donut!" Serena laughed, jumping up from her seat to order another. She could hear Ami scolding her about spoiling her dinner and getting fat, but her attention was drawn to someone else. A girl with long, crow black hair walked into the half crowded café. Ami, realising Serena was paying no attention, followed Serena's gaze.

"Do you know her?" Ami asked, tapping Serena on the forearm. Serena shook her head slowly.

"No… Do you?" Serena asked quietly. Ami blushed and looked down, feeling self conscious that Serena had caught her staring at the girl too.

"No. I don't think so." Ami finally replied. The two girls looked at each other for a moment and in that moment, they both realised that girl was familiar to them both, but they didn't know why. Serena glanced slyly at the girl then stiffened and turned back to Ami.

"She's also staring at us." Serena whispered as she closed her books and put them in her backpack. Ami, still bright pink, packed away her books too. Both walked out of the café without looking back.

"Thanks for helping my study so much, Ami. I don't know what I'd do without you saving by butt all the time." Serena said earnestly. Ami frowned, puzzled.

"Saving… your butt?" Ami mumbled.

"Yeah!"

"How?" Ami asked. Serena paused, stumped at how to answer the question.

"Uh… um… hrm… Oh! My test scores! Mum would have killed me by now if it wasn't for you!" Serena exclaimed. Ami smiled at her strange, blond friend.

"No problem. See you tomorrow. Remember to study for the English test." Ami called over her shoulder as they parted. Serena stared after Ami.

"What test!" Serena squealed.

"I'm going to bomb another test." Serena sighed, staring at her feet as she wandered home. Out of the corner of her eye, Serena saw a red blur fall at her feet and her head snapped up involuntarily. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to see until she saw it. She was standing outside the florist, staring at a beautiful red rose. A petal had blown off in the breeze and landed on the path next to her. A whole mix of emotions washed over Serena and tears welled up in her eyes. Understanding none of the emotion she was feeling, Serena walked the rest of the way home with a confused head and aching chest.


	2. Chapter 2

Luna sat in the tree outside Serena's room and watched her as she tossed restlessly in her sleep. Artemis slinked up behind her silently, stopping to groom himself.

"She's beginning to remember, I fear." Luna said. Artemis nodded, saying nothing.

"Why?" Luna muttered. Artemis wasn't sure whether she was asking him or herself, but answered anyway.

"It was a long period of time you had to erase. But I think you did a good job." He purred, trying to reassure her conflicted heart. Luna's eyes followed Serena as she pulled the covers over her head and groaned.

"She's befriended Amy. If it weren't for before, those two would never have become friends. Why now, are they friends?" Artemis looked at Luna, his blue eyes calm.

"Maybe them remembering isn't such a bad thing, Luna." He said quietly. Luna stood noiselessly and jumped down from the branch she was perched on, landing lightly on her feet. She glared up at Artemis.

"They deserve a normal life." She said acidly. Luna still, after everything they'd been through, blamed herself for the whole mess. Without another word, Luna melted into the black of night.

"Did they even want a normal life? It's never going to be enough for them. Ever," Artemis muttered.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Hey, have you heard the latest Hey! Say! Jump! album, Rei?" Yuki asked as she opened the café door. Rei shook her head. As her friend began to describe the album, Rei couldn't help but notice the two girls sitting in the corner booth. One had short, blue hair and the other long, blonde pigtails that looked oddly like spaghetti and meatballs. Rei fought the urge to call out. Not that she knew what she would call out. As if she could feel her stare, the girl turned to look at Rei, eyes widening slightly in what could be either shock or recognition. The blue haired girl glanced over at her too, the same expression and questions in her eyes. Rei felt her face was a mirror of their expressions. Quickly, they all adverted their stares.

"… was definitely their best song! Rei? Rei, are you alright?" Yuki asked. Rei nodded and focused herself back on the conversation topic. She didn't see them leave, but Rei could feel that the two girls had left the café. The weirdest bit was that Rei could sense them. Demons? Rei wondered idly. A chill ran down Rei's spine and she shuddered slightly.

"Actually, Yuki, I'm not feeling so good. I think I should go home now. I'll see you tomorrow," Rei lied. She waved to Yuki as she left the café, then walked home, thoughts consumed by the two girls and the strange feeling Rei received. They looked at her so strangely, like they knew her. It was possible that they'd recognised her from her performances around the place, but even so, it felt different. There was more to it than that. Rei shook her head, almost embarrassed about how much thought she'd put into the weird moment.

"They're just some weird girls who caught my eye," Rei muttered as she walked up the temple steps.

At the temple, Rei changed into her priestess robes and grabbed the old wooden broom and began to sweep the path. It was autumn and the orange leaves were falling from the trees, littering the pathway. Rei knew she would have to sweep several times a week now. A few years ago that would have bothered her, but she was different now, somehow.

A girl with long blond hair with a red ribbon emerged from the top of the steps. Rei stopped and greeted the girl, who merely stared back. Rei realised she felt the same way had felt at the café. After a moment, the girl smiled slightly, lowered her gaze and walked by. The red ribbon in her hair, the way she carried herself, everything seemed familiar. Not to mention the look in her eyes.

"Wait a second, could she be… no. Though, she does look an awful lot like her. Wow, a real life Sailor V look-a-like!" Rei giggled.


	3. Chapter 3

Lita walked down the aisles of the grocery store, checking her list as she went. People still stared at her because of her height and foreign looks, but these days she really couldn't care less. After checking the list twice, she bought her groceries and stepped out into the crisp, cool evening air. She began to daydream about boys and the stir-fry she was planning to cook as she walked home.

"Lita!" a voice called out. The colour ran from her daydreams as she turned to face Andrew. He was locking up the Crown Arcade.

"Oh, hey Andrew" She greeted him warmly. He already had a girlfriend, but she still couldn't help liking him, just a little bit. A movement in the shadows caught her eye and she realised someone was standing behind Andrew. The figure was too tall and too bulky to be his girlfriend.

"How's it going? It looked like you were deep in thought just then" Andrew said, laughing. Lita giggled sheepishly.

"Yeah, I was daydreaming. Who's your friend?" She asked, curiously.

"Ah, this is Darien."Andrew said, motioning to him as he stepped out of the shadows. His crow black hair and blue eyes had Lita staring. All she could think about was how handsome he was, and how familiar.

"Hey, I'm Lita. Though you probably figured that out already," Lita said, laughing nervously as Darien stared at her.

"Have we met before?" The sound of his voice was familiar and trustworthy to Lita. It worried her a bit. Just who was he?

"I… I'm not sure," Lita stuttered, "you seem familiar, but I'm pretty sure I'd remember a face like yours," She added quickly, trying to keep the mood light-hearted. Darien laughed, but it sounded a little forced. Lita shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Darien tapped his fingers on his thighs. Andrew looked between both of them, trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

"Well, I'll uh, see you around, Andrew. Nice to meet you, Darien," Lita smiled. She wasn't enjoying the awkward conversation. Something about Darien unnerved her. She quickly waved goodbye and began walking home.

"Dude, you ok?" Andrew asked Darien as he stared after Lita.

"Yeah, I just reckon I know her, somehow," He muttered. Andrew laughed.

"You've probably seen her before, she's at the Arcade most afternoons,"

"Right. That must be it," Darien lied, not convinced in the slightest.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mina stared at the priestess with the thick, long, dark hair. For an instant, Mina felt as though she knew the girl, but she didn't. Lowering her head, she moved on quickly. She's probably just another Sailor V fan I've met, Mina thought to herself. The trees around her were casting long shadows on the ground. The sun was slowly setting and a breeze had begun to pick up. It was truly a beautiful evening. But Mina couldn't enjoy it. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was watching her. A blur of white caught Mina's eye. She turned in time to see it pounce at her and she tumbled backwards into the bushes. She found herself lying on her back, a heavy weight on her chest. About to scream for help, a white paw touched her lips and she found herself staring into a pair of strange blue eyes. It wasn't the colour as such that unnerved her, but the fact that they belonged to a cat. Mina stared wide-eyed at it for a moment before flinging her hand up to push it away. The cat dodged her hand easily, jumping from her chest to land lightly on the floor beside her. Mina scurried backwards, distancing herself from the bizarre cat. She got to her knees slowly, keeping her eye on the cat. Only then did she notice the small crescent moon on its forehead.

Mina's eyes widened and she caught herself muttering a word, questioningly.

"Artemis?"

The silence that followed was long and awkward.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Oh! You remember me?" The cat asked, both surprised and relieved in a deep, husky voice. Mina gave up trying to stand and sunk to the floor. She opened her mouth but no words came out, just air.

"You know my name." It was a statement.

"But… you're a talking cat… " Mina stuttered. Her eyebrows burrowed closer together and the lines on her forehead became more prominent; she was thinking very hard. Artemis laughed quietly.

"How do you know my name?" He asked. Mina couldn't answer his question. She wasn't sure how she'd known his name exactly; she just knew that the cat's name was Artemis and that he was a friend. Or at least that's the impression she got. Truth be told, she'd never seen the cat before in her life.

"I don't-" Mina paused. She remembered something now: a place, some faces. She was standing near the lighthouse on the pier. There were four other girls. They seemed excited and friendly and… familiar. Artemis was there, sitting next to her foot. Another cat was sitting in front of a girl with long blonde hair, styled like spaghetti and meatballs. They were wearing strange outfits, like they were super heroes, like those magical girls from comic books. Like Sailor V. Am _I a part of this?_ Mina thought.

"Mina?" Artemis asked. The image faded slowly, returning to wherever it came from. Mina tried to remember more of what she'd seen, but she couldn't. It was like a dream. Once you wake up, no matter how hard you try you can't exactly remember.

"Artemis is your name. You are a talking cat. I know you. I… I don't understand!" Mina exclaimed, bringing her hands up to her face. She sat there, feeling pathetic and stupid, yet excited and alive at the same time. Artemis sighed and trotted closer to Mina's side.

"It's ok. It will come back to you eventually. It's inevitable." He said quietly. Mina didn't move. She breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself down a bit. She was very confused and scared, and if she were completely honest with herself, a little excited and relieved.

"I'll always be close by, if you ever want to… to talk about what you remember. You won't be alone for long. I promise." He murmured softly. Mina couldn't help but reach out and stroke his soft, white fur. It felt soft under her hands. Artemis purred quietly.

"I… I don't… this is… you're a talking cat…" Mina mumbled on. Artemis could hear hysteria creeping up inside her voice.

"I think you should go home now Mina." Artemis said, shrinking away from Mina's hand. She nodded and stood slowly, her knees shaking underneath her. She brushed down her skirt and picked up her school bag. Without another glace at Artemis, she walked out from the bushes and down the stone path towards the staircase. Artemis watched as her silhouette disappeared down the stairs.

"The girls are finally coming back," Artemis purred.

"But… why?"


End file.
